Across Lake Ontario to Canada

Bright and early we were up and ready to head across Lake Ontario to Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The winds were favorable which meant that the waves upon the lake made travel very comfortable. We pumped out the head while still in the US as we have heard that the cost to pump out in Canada can be pricey – we shall see.


This is Fort Ontario which played a huge role during the War of 1812 as a strategic outpost for the US forces.



Finally we were left the Oswego River and entered the waters of Lake Ontario.
Traveling was quite easy and in fact, so easy that after about an hour, First Mate Dottie and I were lulled to sleep leaving Captain Mark to fend for himself at the helm. What is interesting about traveling in open water is that all open water looks the same. It does not matter if one is in Lake Michigan or the Gulf of Mexico or the Chesapeake Bay or the Atlantic Ocean – water is water is water. Only when we were in the Florida Keyes did the open water appear different due to the beautiful blue color of the Caribbean waters otherwise the water is an almost green color lighted by the white caps of the waves.

We travelled through the western most area known as the Thousand Islands. This part of Lake Ontario is spotted with almost two thousand small islands. Known for their remoteness and some truly spectacular homes these islands are also bird and wildlife sanctuaries.

It has been tremendously hot for the past few weeks so it felt wonderful to be on the open water with the “sea breeze”. Again I was thankful for the enclosed pilot house so that we were not exposed to the heat and sun as would have been with a fly-bridge. It was also extremely hazy and we were rather close to the shoreline before we were able to make out the city of Kingston. We found our slip at Confederation Basin and as soon as we were settled Captain Mark (and Dottie) went to check us in with Canadian Customs.



Hours on the water: 6.25
Nautical miles traveled: 51
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Number of locks: 0
Next Destination: 0
What we are listening to: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Lesson for the day: It felt so good to be out in deep water again
Obligatory knitting report: Navy Cardigan for me